Summary
This is a colour postcard of the southern facade of the Exhibition Building circa 1905. The postcard, which was sent to Miss L Taylor, Bourke Street, Goulburn, New South Wales in early January 1905, was made by Robert Jolley of Melbourne. Robert Jolley began postcard production in Melbourne around 1900.
The Exhibition Building was built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, which opened to visitors on 1 October 1880. On 9 May 1901, it hosted the opening of the First Commonwealth Parliament of Australia. By the early 20th century, picture postcards of the Exhibition Building were a popular Melbourne souvenir.
The division of the reverse of the postcard, allowing a message to be written on one half and the address on the other, was not permitted in Australia until 1905.
Physical Description
A colour tinted photograph of the Exhibition Building and lake from the south east. The image is surrounded by a white border with space for a brief message below the image. On the reverse of the postcard is a handwritten address. In the upper RH corner is a red New South Wales postage stamp with the colony's shield. The card is postmarked Newcastle, 2 January 1905 and then Sydney, 2 January 1905.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Publisher
Robert Jolley, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1905
The division of the reverse of the postcard, allowing a message to be written on one half and the address on the other, was not permitted in Britain until 1902 and Australia until 1905. -
Place & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1904
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Addressed To
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: Exhibition Building, Melbourne/ROBERT JOLLEY, MELBOURNE Obverse, handwritten: A happy New Year - Ida. Reverse, text: Post Card; THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE Reverse, handwritten: Miss L. Taylor/ Bourke St/ Goulburn Reverse, postmarked: NEWCASTLE N.S.W./ JA 2/ 5:30 AM/ 05; SYDNEY/ JAN 2/ 12 M/ 1905/ 15; N.S.W.
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
140 mm (Width), 89 mm (Height)
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References
For info on Robert Jolley: Cook, David, 'Picture Postcards in Australia', pp138-39.
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs